Minimalist packing mindset: 5 easy tips to pack like a minimalist

Would you like to learn how to pack like a minimalist? If you’re looking for a magic wand that will make your suitcase light and your packing time short and easy, well, here is the next best thing: our expert tips for a minimalist packing mindset!

Minimalist packing is a skill that needs to be learned and practised. The first and most important thing to work on is your minimalist packing mindset: packing will become so much easier!

Minimalist travel mindset

Since we started travelling together in 2014 (and before, separately), we have been guilty of packing clothes and items that we did not use during the trip.

We tried and tested during city-breaks in Europe and during our trips to Japan and Australia. It took a few attempts to learn the technique that works best for us, and we keep improving it. If you’re going on a weekend away, make sure you check out our minimalist packing list for a city-break to save yourself some time.

Now that we have a baby, we are learning again what is really important to pack for our baby (here is what we packed for our first holiday with our baby).

Minimalist packing doesn’t mean travelling with a deprived attitude and just a few items; it means evaluating each and every piece of clothing and gear, bringing only what we need and use, and enjoying the feeling of lightness – physically and mentally.

Whether you travel for a couple of days, for a week or for a month, there are just 5 rules to follow to stop overpacking and travel light. You’ll be ready to go in no time!

1. Know yourself and determine your essentials

This is the foundation: become aware of your habits and preferences, in order to pack only what you really need. Only by knowing yourself you can determine what is essential to you.

You need to separate what you want from what you need: try picturing your days during the trip, and ask yourself questions.

• At home, you would dress nicely for a night out and wear high heels. Are you really going to do it after walking around a city all day? Consider instead just changing your blouse/shirt.
• At home, you would read a chapter from a book before going to sleep. Will you have energy, or will you be exhausted? Consider uploading a book on your phone, or doing something else to relax.
• At home, you have different lotions for hair, face, body. Can your skin survive without it? Consider bringing just one lotion, or even better, use the hotel one!

Basically, every time you are unsure about bringing something, or you pack it “just in case”, most probably you don’t need it! Be brave and leave it at home!

Get motivated by picturing yourself light and free: in the morning, it takes you 5 minutes to get dressed; in the evening, you talk with your companions about your fresh experiences; when travelling back, your suitcase is ready in the glimpse of an eye! It’s very relieving to realize that you don’t need much stuff with you.

Over the years, we stopped carrying extra shoes, books, unnecessary electronics and gadgets, make up and toiletries. I feel very satisfied when I use everything I brought with me, and I don’t miss anything!

2. Know your capabilities and pack a minimal weight

My mother taught me this at 11, while packing for my first trip without her to a CISV camp: pack only what you can physically carry and lift.

You cannot and should not count on people to help you. If you fly with hand luggage, you should be able to lift it over your head. Your backpack should not hurt your shoulders and back after 30 minutes, if you plan to hike all day. Do not pack 30 kg in a giant suitcase with stiff wheels: will you be able to lift it up and down the stairs?

Also, think ahead: if you know you will go shopping or buy souvenirs, leave some space in the suitcase. Or are you really going to buy another bag and carry two suitcases back?

On our first trip to Japan, I used a backpack for the first time, an awesome Osprey Transporter 40 liters. I was carrying only 8 kg in it (hand luggage, yeah!), but it was already too much for my untrained back. The following year, I packed 5.5 kg!

Get motivated by visualizing yourself during your trip: lifting your carry-on to the overhead compartment without effort; walking gracefully from the metro stop to your hotel with your light suitcase; being able to buy gifts and souvenirs bigger than a bookmark and a pair of earrings. Isn’t that a wonderful feeling?

3. Plan carefully in order to pack minimal

Ok, the black top with the grey trousers, the red blouse with the black trousers, what if it’s cold though, let’s take a jumper, and if we go to the pool let me take swimsuit and flip-flops… the perfect recipe for a heavy suitcase and a long morning of deciding your outfit!

Follow these 4 steps: plan your trip, check the weather, decide what exceptions to make, and act upon it.

• Are you going hiking? Don’t bring heels.
• City break? Mix and match layers.
• One combination of coat, shoes and handbag must be enough.
• Yes, bring a special dress if you’re celebrating your anniversary, but only one!

Remember, nothing will be the end of the world. If it rains, you’ll find cover; if your shoes break, you can buy temporary ones; if you’re sick, you can buy medication at a local pharmacy…

Get motivated by being very realistic: if you wear your coat all day, does it really matter what you wear underneath? You don’t need 5 shirts for a city-break! If you go somewhere warm, where it might be a little windy in the evening, focus on good-looking and practical clothing for day and night, and bring just one jumper or light jacket. We managed to pack light both for our city-break to Oslo, and for our 5-day trip to Sicily, in my Samsonite carry-on with 55 x 35 x 22 cm. Here is our minimalist packing list for city breaks!

4. Practice minimalist packing your way

Even when you think you did a good job, be critical with yourself.

Make a list of what you packed and mark what you didn’t use. This can help you next time!

• During a city break you didn’t wash your hair, and it was still fine? Next time, leave shampoo and conditioner at home.
• You didn’t wear that cute dress? You won’t wear it next time either.
• Do you always pack another pair of shoes just in case? I bet you rarely use it.

This can work also the other way round: when travelling to Namibia, I thought I could manage without hair conditioner for 2 weeks. Instead, the wind and the sand made such a mess, I could barely comb it! Now, conditioner is the first thing I pack in the toiletries.

Get motivated by congratulating yourself: you are learning and improving your minimalist packing skills! You are getting better and better!

5. Be digital to achieve further minimalism

Nowadays, I believe this is quite natural to have digital documents, but I am sure some of us still carry a printed boarding pass, itinerary, or guides.

Instead, we found that besides our ID, everything else can stay in our phones!

Review each of the items you would bring with you.

• Tickets and boarding passes: read carefully if it needs printing (some do), otherwise keep it digital.
• Guidebooks: just think of how heavy that book will feel like in your handbag at 4pm. Take a picture of the relevant pages and read them on the go.
• IDs and documents: take pictures and keep them tidy in a folder in your phone and on the cloud.

I admit it, I still feel a little uncomfortable with the idea on relying so much on my phone. It can break, it can die, it can be stolen, yet it contains all my travel documents, plans and notes, pictures and entertainment. I do my best to keep my phone safe.

Overall, it’s so amazing to travel without heavy papers, that it’s worth the worry.

Our plans are on OneNote, our money is on our multi-currency Wise card (formerly TransferWise), our itineraries on Google, our important documents are on the cloud, our boarding passes saved in emails. If anything goes wrong, we have a backup plan.

What else to say on minimalist travel?

Minimalism is a journey: you should enjoy it, not feel forced or trapped.

We love to travel in a minimalist way: we never queue to retrieve luggage at the airport, we save money on airfare, we are quick at getting dressed in the morning, we buy small and light souvenirs.

We want to inspire you to reach a similar level of carefreeness and relax. To each their own: what feels absolutely necessary to you may not be as necessary to me.

Are you an overpacker? Did you find out tips useful? Or are you already a practiced minimalist? Let us know in the comments!